Last Day To Tell Google To Forget You 238
itwbennett writes "Google's new privacy policy will consolidate all your data at google.com — unless you erase it first. And today is your last day to do it. The change goes into effect tomorrow. Which is why the helpful folks at EFF have posted some simple instructions showing how to delete your web history at Google."
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Google is too poweful (Score:0, Insightful)
We've reached a point where no one can deny that Google has become too powerful.
Now, as a Linux user, only Google's Chrome will support Flash under Linux:
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/02/22/1323204/adobe-makes-flash-on-gnulinux-chrome-only
Every website in existence has Google analytivs, Google APIs, Google +1. It's getting out of hand. All in the name of monetization. I really, really do miss the WWW of the mid-90s for it's "innocence" and pre-Google competitiveness. No one even tries to usurp Google. It's a shame. Google becoming so big has desensitized us to lack of competition in the search realm.
This reminds me of the movie Demolition Man, where all restaurants are Taco Bell. I have gotten to the point where as of a few months ago, I use zero Google products and block everything they offer on the WWW. Their tracking is inidious. People gladly trade in their "data" and "privacy" for a free service that in the end is not free.
I think the EU is correct in pushing sites for "forget" people, despite any repercussions that might bring about. People come first, not profit.
Re:Cee-Lo Green said it best. (Score:4, Insightful)
So... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:YouTube (Score:5, Insightful)
Google can only associate your searches with your account if you're logged in. If you don't want them to remember your searches, don't log in. Log in to use YouTube when you want to, then log out when you're done.
I don't think that's true, Google *can* associate your searches with your account whether or not you are logged on. I don't know if they *do* associate searches with your account when you're not logged on, but there's no reason why they couldn't do it if they wanted to.
You'd have to delete all of your Google cookies to prevent this. And even then, it's no sure thing, they could look at your IP address and browser ID to do a pretty good job of correlating your activity with your Google account even without a cookie.
Re:Sign into my what? (Score:5, Insightful)
You are not "affected" with them directly tracking you either.
Truth be told, if consider you are "affected" by tracking, you will still be "affected." There are some valid reasons to feel affected, too. Things like personal like sexual preferences or a teenager quietly getting pregnant and performing an abortion, these are things you rather keep to yourself but are not (at least in liberal eyes) wrong. Google may splash to your family by "accident" via targeted advertisement comes to mind, ironically it's even more likely to happen in a household with pure IP tracking (if everyone in the household has their web history turned off.)
In theory it may even sound better to keep the tracking on, but then it "is there", where someone may some day gain access and look at it.
Not everyone has these types of secrets or privacy concerns, but just because you have one does not mean it's invalid or you are a criminal.
Now on a separate note.... is there a way to download the history? I found interesting how far my history goes and would rather download it all than delete it, at least for the time being. I can’t find anywhere an option to download it, other than go page by page downloading the HTML pages... a bit too much for 5 years of history.
Re:Done. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a very boring person with very little to hide and no inherent desire for privacy. I see no way in which I'm personally harmed by the data I know people are collecting.. if I had the option to opt out or opt in, I'd probably still let them collect the data.
The problems start the day you become not boring. You never know when you will become a person of interest. Run for office, start a succesful business, date a girl wtih a pyscho-ex, save a kid's life in some dramatic way, whatever. It may not even be under your control - you might just cross paths with the wrong guy - a wrong place, wrong time sort of thing.
However it happens, if it ever happens, you can be sure that all that boring information will suddenly become extremely interesting to some people, people who will dig through as much of it as they can get their hands on looking for any thing they can possibly use to harm, or at least get leverage on, you or your family. Maybe all your boring details will still be just as boring, but you really can't predict what a motivated person or organization will be able to come up with given years of historical details about you.
Most people never will become a person of interest.
But those who do, will be screwed.
Re:i told them to forget me (Score:5, Insightful)
You can't escape The Google.
View any website with an ad from doubleclick.com? Google knows it, and what site your were visiting at the time.
View any website with a ReCaptcha? Google knows what site you were visiting at the time.
View any website that hotlinked the Google logo?
Site using Google-Analytics or Google APIs?
Now sit back and enjoy your Kool Aid.
Or use Adblock, Noscript, and RequestPolicy to block third party use of Google. But too bad if you actually need to fill out a ReCaptcha to register or post somewhere, or use a website that depends on Google APIs.
Re:Done. (Score:5, Insightful)
Qu'on me donne six lignes ï½crites de la main du plus honnï½te homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre. -- Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-duc de Richelieu et de Fronsac. If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him. It is even more true today than it was in the 17th century, especially when places like Google have way, way more than six lines typed by your hand.
Re:Sign into my what? (Score:5, Insightful)
You're lucky. I signed up for a GMail account in 2009 (so I could use Google Docs with some other people on a small project). Used it for two weeks while we were on the project, never logged in since. I hardly ever use any Google apps - I don't use their search, I don't use their Maps, I don't use GMail, blah blah blah.
A few months ago I read about how to check your Google history, went in out of sheer curiosity, total shock at just how much stuff they'd collected on me. Deleted it and told myself I really wasn't paranoid after all.
I don't know how you got away with it, but I can tell you they had a huge amount of info about me, and I somewhat actively avoid Google services. I am generally pretty blase about online tracking and the like - but that one gave me a jolt.
Re:Sign into my what? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ever pull back a Slashdot post you made 10 minutes ago in a google search result? I have. Spooky... and disquieting.